


John and Jade: Act Like Siblings

by AOrange



Series: Fruity Rumpus Afterlife Road Trip [2]
Category: Homestuck
Genre: Gen, Meteorstuck, can be read independently of series, just them being derps
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-06-16
Updated: 2013-06-16
Packaged: 2017-12-15 03:38:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,860
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/844854
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AOrange/pseuds/AOrange
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jade has been bugging you for months to teach her how to play the piano. You finally agreed but she's terrible and you're a terrible brother because you even made her cry. It works out okay for you both though, so that's nice.</p>
            </blockquote>





	John and Jade: Act Like Siblings

You don't usually find yourself regretting decisions like this. 

Jade had been nagging you for days, weeks, probably even months. She could be so annoying when she wanted. Then even Nanna started nagging you about it and you kind of felt like you didn't have a choice anymore, because she looked a bit upset that you both weren't getting along. You'd asked Davesprite for his opinion but he'd absconded faster than the time you wondered aloud what had happened to Cal. 

You knew this would be a stupid, painful decision but you'd finally gone to Jade earlier in the morning with a yes, instead of a no for the seven billionth time. You're not even sure if you're exaggerating the number of times you said no. Jade can be so persistent! You're pretty happy that she's actually your sister even if you never really got to know her growing up. 

She's good at so many things, you've found out, even if cooking isn't on that list. You're sure glad that she's terrible at baking. She's super smart. She even figured out how to get a little garden going out on the deck of the ship so you've got fresh things growing all the time. Nanna likes that almost as much as Jade. You've even found her building things that work out of next to nothing, she's that smart. She's so super smart that sometimes you just sit back and feel stupid for a while, because you don't know what else to feel.

You've found the one thing she's not good at, though. 

Jade Harley, your sister who is so much your sister that she is actually your twin, is entirely incapable of learning how to play the piano.

You're not sure why this is so hard for her. And you don't mean that in a bad way, and you don't mean that since you are quite good at piano that she should be too, you mean that she plays other instruments. She was really very good on her strange bass and even her silly little flute ditties were fun to listen too, even though she wasn't as good at that. One time she sent you an audio file of herself playing a little flute song and you'd both agreed it was indeed rather silly but not terrible. You'd passed the file along to Dave so he could listen too, and he went a step further and remixed it. The two of you had agreed that Dave ruined everything. 

Jade looks at you for reassurance and you smile back at her. She grins in return and turns back to the keys and all you can do is bite your lip as she misses the right key again. You reach over to put her fingers back in the right positions since she's two keys over from where she should be, but she stops playing and slaps your hand out of the way. 

JADE: joooohn!!  
JOHN: jaaaaaaaade  
JOHN: just let me help you!  
JADE: i can do it on my own!  
JADE: its all in my head but my fingers arent cooperating right now!!!  
JOHN: that's because it doesn't work like that.

You try again and this time she lets you fix her hands. She doesn't look happy about it and she makes sure that you notice the scowl on her face that indicates as much. You slowly, slowly, press the keys yourself to show her again because she won't look at the paper you used to draw the notes on, you have no idea why. She is just being stubborn again. She won't let you put stickers on the keys, either, with letters on to indicate which key makes which notes. You tried but she told you she didn't want to feel stupid. 

You feel stupid because this is stupid and it should be easy. 

You had no idea that after almost three hours she would still be struggling with Mary Had A Little Lamb. 

She huffs, brushes back the hair from her face, and returns her hands to the piano again. When she immediately hits the G instead of the A you flinch - you actually flinch! - because no, not again, she can't have gotten it wrong on the first note again. 

JADE: nanna!! johns being horrible!!!  
JOHN: what are you doing?   
JADE: im complaining because you are being horrible john!!  
JADE: i was really excited when you said youd teach me  
JADE: because ive only been bothering you about it for months  
JADE: and then you agreed and i thought this would be something fun we could do together  
JADE: but clearly i was wrong!!!  
JOHN: it is fun, but it's also hard because you find this hard and i thought you'd find it easy  
JOHN: but you're struggling and i can't make it any easier.  
JADE: maybe if you didnt look so sad because i am struggling i would find it easier!!  
JOHN: no, jade, are you okay?  
JOHN: jade are you crying?  
JOHN: don't cry!  
JOHN: nanna! jade's crying!

You slide off the end off the end of the bench in some kind of panic because this isn't what was meant to happen. You did not wake up this morning with the intention of making Jade cry and you don't think you've ever woken up with that intention. You scowl out of the doorway because even with the both of you shouting at her, Nanna is nowhere to be seen. You stand there for a minute, arms folded over your chest and your foot tapping impatiently, because surely she heard you and will be able to fix everything. 

Jade is trying the song again from behind you and even though she hits the first few notes in the right order, everything from the second G is wrong and it hurts to listen to because she is obviously smart, and you realise it hurts because she usually good at things when she tries them. 

Your arms drop to your side and you feel pretty terrible about the entire morning. You don't want to feel terrible because it's not exactly your fault, but you feel that way anyway because when you go back to the piano and sit beside her again, Jade is still sniffling. 

JOHN: i'm sorry!  
JADE: for what john??  
JADE: saying youll teach me or for being awful???  
JOHN: both  
JOHN: no, only the second one!  
JOHN: shit  
JOHN: i'm sorry again, really!   
JOHN: for being awful, definitely.   
JOHN: shit, here.   
JADE: what now john?

Her eyes light up a little when you pull a bunch of flowers from your sleeve as if it isn't the oldest trick in the book, but she's smiling now so you don't mind. Your arm is a little itchy because they've been there for a while now but you never know when you're going to need a bunch of flowers like that so you try to stay prepared. She reaches up with her free hand, behind her glasses, and wipes at her eyes until they're mostly dry and a little red. 

When she seems to be calm again, because for a minute there you were worried that she would be angry at you for a few days, you pat your lap and she accepts the invitation, scooting over to sit on your knees. You give her a quick squeeze as another apology, because you know that you can never apologise too many times when you've actually upset someone, and then settle your hands on the piano again. 

JADE: you should play something!!   
JOHN: but i always play things.   
JOHN: you hear me play things all the time.   
JADE: so?  
JADE: you usually make me leave because its distracting to have someone else here!!   
JOHN: that's because it is, a little  
JOHN: and i haven't learnt anything new lately because i'm still trying to figure out how to alchemise sheet music that i don't already have a copy of around here.   
JADE: play something old then!!  
JADE: because if you play something i can watch carefully  
JADE: and maybe then ill figure out how this thing works!!!

You've tried telling her before that this isn't something she can work by understanding how the parts themselves move, but she's insistent and you still feel bad about making her cry. This time, you swat her hands away because you don't think you can play around hers like that. You've never played with anyone sitting on your lap, either, and you have to shift her weight slightly. She gives up trying to make herself comfortable and slides back a little, so she's sitting beside you again but with her legs still across yours. That's okay, now you can see as well which, while not completely necessary, certainly makes things easier. 

She watches intently as you play and you have to admit that it is more than a little unnerving. Dad stopped watching you play a few years ago and he only ever popped his head in while you were practicing if he thought you needed a break. Your piano forever had plates of half-eaten or entirely untouched cake slices on or around it and you kind of miss that, too. No one had forced cake at you in months, now that you think about it. You are both relieved and distressed by this thought. 

Jade leans forward to rest her head on your shoulder and you mash a few keys together, not that she notices. You let your hands drop from the piano when you're done, onto your lap, so they're resting on her knees. 

JADE: what was that??   
JOHN: i made it up a few years ago, i think  
JOHN: maybe not that long   
JADE: you wrote that???   
JOHN: yeah   
JADE: wow!!   
JADE: thats so cool john!!!  
JADE: show me how to play the nursery rhyme again

You show her how to play the nursery rhyme again. She swings her legs off your lap and sits the right way on the stool again, facing the piano. She lets you sit her fingers on the right keys, and even though she pouts a little when you put your hands over hers to press the keys for her, she lets you. You run through twice, then remove your hands and slide off the end of the bench so she can shift over a little further. 

This time when she hits the wrong keys, you hug her from behind and rest your chin between her ears. She doesn't say anything for a little while and you're glad she can't see you frowning because she's still terrible. 

JADE: jooooohn!  
JADE: youre so distracting!  
JADE: go away!!!

You go away. 

You can still hear her down the hallway, though, and you're not sure she'll ever get the hang of this but that's okay. She's good enough at so many other things that it shouldn't matter in the end. 

When you arrive in the kitchen, Nanna is by the table and on the table is a plate, and on that plate is a slice of cake. 

You don't say anything, but you smile, and you sit down to eat the dessert.


End file.
